Activities of Sergey LAGODINSKY related to 2021/2250(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2021 Report on Turkey (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Turkey
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (40)
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
— having regard to law No. 7262 on the Prevention of the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, weaponizing counter- terrorism measures to target civil society,
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on ‘Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe Member States,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas, despite the adoption on 2 March 2021 of an Action Plan on Human Rights by Turkey, there is significant room for improvement concerning the situation of fundamental rights; whereas there is dire need for progress on protection of LGBTI people;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage anythe resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018; firmly insists, therefore, that a structured and comprehensive high-level dialogue aimed at discussing and re-framing the current state of EU-Turkey relations urgently take place, while maintaining the formal freezing of the accession negotiations with Turkey;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the brest possible relationsoration of relations based on dialogue, respect and mutual trust; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Expresses its will to strengthen and deepen mutual knowledge and understanding between Turkish and EU Member States' societies, promoting cultural growth, socio-cultural exchanges and combating all manifestations of social, religious, ethnic or cultural prejudice; expresses its full commitment to continue supporting Turkey’s independent civil society in whatever circumstances and framework of relations that the future may bring; believes that the accession process would still be the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on and constructive dialogue with the Turkish government and the best framework to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; stresses that a purely transactional relationship will hardly contribute to the advancement of a sustainable, mutually beneficial and even partnership;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework - particularly through the application of terrorism charges and by restriction of the freedom of expression - and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities either-directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); particularly condemns this decision against the background of the high number of femicides in the country; reiterates its call on Turkey’s Government to reverse this regrettable decision; calls on Turkey, in the meantime, to prevent and combat violence against all women and girls, support survivors, and to hold abusers to account by fully implementing Turkey’s own Law no. 6284 and all measures identified in the European Court of Human Rights Opuz group of cases under enhanced supervision by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution and constitutes a positive obligation, derived from its membership of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR); condemns the systematic and selective violation of this freedom extending to any critical activity such as peaceful Kurdish civil and political engagement, peaceful protest by women rights activists, including by Cumartesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers), protests by the students of Boğaziçi University for academic freedom as well as LGBTI activists; denounces protracted bans on peaceful protests, the excessive use of force against demonstrators and journalists covering protests as well as trials against activists;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prcondemns the large number of investigation and prosecution of persons for allegations of insulting the President or on broadly-worded and vague terrorism charges; is concerned that, of all Council of Europe members, Turkey was the member country with the highest number of judgments on violations of freedom of expression at the European Court of Human Rights in 2021; calls for the immediate release of journalist Sedef Kabaş who was arrested on 22 February 2022 following her citation of a proverb on television in Turkeythat was interpreted as an insult directed at the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; takes note of the worrying presidential circular from 28 February 2022 entitled “Press and Publication Activities” which may be used by Turkish authorities as a tool to strengthen the arm of monitoring agencies such as RTÜK, the Radio and Television Supreme Council and further limit the freedom of expression; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom as a matter of priority and to immediately and unconditionally release and acquit detained journalists, writers and social media users for exercising their profession and civil rights;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; is concerned that today about 90% of the national media are controlled by the Turkish government by means of regulators such as the High Council for Broadcasting (RTÜK); is concerned about RTÜKʼs threat to block the international media outlets Deutsche Welle, Euronews and Voice of America if they do not apply for broadcasting licenses which allow the watchdog oversight of the outlet’s content; calls on an end to the discriminatory issuing of punitive measures against independent broadcasters by RTÜK;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes note of the adoption of the fourth and fifth judicial packages in Turkey during 2021; asserts, however, that the current problems stem not only from problematic legislation, but are often caused by a failure to implement existing adequate provisions; remains concerned about the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey; the lack of independence of the judiciary in Turkey, coupled with the chilling effect of the mass dismissals carried out by the Government in the past years which undermine the capacity of the judiciary as a whole to provide an effective remedy for human rights violations, both in regard to measures taken under the state of emergency, and in general; notes with regret that in this context, the judicial reforms do not tackle these fundamental shortcomings; is highly concerned by the application of vague and overly broad terrorism measures including by restricting due process guarantees, prolonging the duration of pre-trial detention and allowing for continued dismissals of public officials because of alleged links to terrorist organisations, aiming to pursue politically motivated prosecutions of political opponents and mute human rights defenders, journalists and academic; strongly condemns the dismissals and forced removals of a large number of Turkish judges and prosecutors; recalls that any dismissals and appointments within the judiciary should be subjected to particularly exacting scrutiny, that the executive branch shall be prohibited to interfere with or attempt to exert influence over the judiciary and that the appointment of the judiciary shall respect the principles of independence and impartiality; is appalled by a reported pattern of persecution of lawyers representing individuals accused of terrorism, whereby lawyers were prosecuted for the same crime as that attributed to their client, or a related crime, in a context where this constituted a clear obstacle to the enjoyment of the right to fair trial and access to justice; urges the Turkish government to guarantee the independent work of lawyers and to release anyone illegally detained simply for performing their legal duties;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 11 – subparagraph 1 (new)
notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt and is still impacting many individuals, among the more than 152000 civil servants, including teachers, doctors, academics (for peace), lawyers, judges and prosecutors, who were arbitrarily dismissed and permanently banned from working in the public sector or even in their profession as a whole; stresses that many of these dismissals continue to have devastating effects on those dismissed as well as their families, including a lasting social and professional stigma; has strong doubts about the functioning of the Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures (CoSEM) as an internal remedy due to its lack of independence and impartiality; notes that the arbitrary passport cancellations, despite some incremental improvements, remain a major breach of the freedom of movement;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Recalls the unlawful and arbitrary detention of 427 judges and prosecutors in the wake of the attempted coup in July 2016; highlights the ECtHRʼs judgement “Turan vs. Turkey” from 23 November 2021 confirming the Turkish government’s systematic violation of the right to freedom and security as set out on Article 5/1 ECHR; notes with concern the Turkish governments’ refusal to abide by the Courts conclusion; Notes that according to 2021 statistics announced by Robert Spano, President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Turkey ranks second after Russia, with 15,250 applications pending at the ECtHR, with two-thirds of them concerning alleged violations in arrests and trials related to the coup attempt of 15 July 2016; hopes that the ECtHR will be able to prioritise and accelerate delivering judgments in the numerous Turkish cases pending before its court;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets the sustained pressure on civil society and human rights defenders and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey; denounces the legal and administrative harassment and violence against human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, academics, which particularly the Kurdish community suffers from; denounces the arbitrary closure of renowned civil society organisations and media outlets; calls on Turkey to view critical or dissenting voices, including human rights defenders, academics and journalists, as valuable contributors to social dialogue, rather than destabilising forces; notes with concern the grave impediment on the freedom to associate peacefully through the Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; is concerned by the observations from the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights and Parliamentary Assembly, who point that human rights organisations were the first to be audited pursuant to this law; urges Turkey to review the Law and to repeal the 36 articles of the Law which are not related to the prevention of financing or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular those articles which unduly target civil society;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Urges to prioritize the vibrant civil society in Turkey and their pro-democracy efforts which could contribute to generating the political will necessary for strengthening EU-Turkey relations; encourages a new and immediate constructive dialogue mechanism with the Turkish civil society for mutual confidence building and for sustaining the democratic and pro- European aspirations of Turkish society, supporting an exchange which should concentrate in particular on democratisation, human rights, rule of law, good governance, sustainable development, green and digital transition;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of unjust and unlawful detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide in full by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; condemns the attempts to prolong Osman Kavalaʼs detention through judicial tactics including the merging and disjoining of case files; notes that the infringement proceedings by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe against Turkey highlight the seriousness of Turkeyʼs violations of its obligations as a member of the CoE and an EU candidate country.
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses deep concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBTI people, in particular with regard to physical attackhate crimes – especially against transgender persons – the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media; and online; recalls the need to adopt measures to ensure all citizens can enjoy these freedom safely; notes with concern the increasing hate speech and smear campaigns by high-ranking central government and public officials against LGBTI persons; is concerned about the examples of the criminal investigations against the Istanbul, Ankara and Diyarbakir bar associations and the case of the participants in the 2019 METU Pride; welcomes the acquittal of the latter; recalls that Turkey’s obligations under the ECHR entail a responsibility to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI persons; calls on authorities to align its criminal legislation concerning homophobic and transphobic hate crimes with ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation 7; urges Turkey to drop all charges against peaceful participants of LGBTI events and lift the protracted bans on Pride events;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Condemns the continuous repression on academic institutions, in particular Boğaziçi University and the university’s professors and students; welcomes the statement by the EEAS from 4 February 2021, which recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be used as a means to silence critical voices;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Denounces the discrimination and mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly the Kurdish community, Armenians, Roma and Alevis; urges Turkey to put in place a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, including a prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, colour, language, citizenship, sexual orientation and gender identity aimed at combating racism and homo/transphobia.
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks and pressure on the opposition parties, particularly the HDP and others, including the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which undermine the proper functioning of the democratic system; stresses that democracy presupposes an environment in which political parties, civil society and the media can function without threats or arbitrary restrictions;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with great concern that the HDP, its elected mayors and its party organisations, especially its youth organisation have been specifically and continuously targeted and criminalised by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP and calls for their immediate release; condemns in strongest terms the Turkish authorities’ disregard and refusal to abide by rulings of the ECtHR calling for the immediately release of Mr Demirtaş; denounces the governing coalitionʼs relentless attempts to criminalise the legitimate political activities of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP); is highly concerned that the Constitutional Court accepted an indictment filed by the Court of Cassation chief prosecutor to permanently shut down the HDP and ban 451 politicians from political life; is gravely concerned by the ongoing so- called “Kobani case" against 108 individuals including many HDP politicians which began on 26 April 2021;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. is concerned about the arbitrary protraction of the registration process of the Green Party of Turkey, which applied to the Turkish Interior Ministry for a certification of the party’s formation on the day if its establishment in September 2020 but has hitherto not been issued such certificate;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Condemns the recurrent use of revocation of the parliamentary status of opposition MPs, which seriously damages the Turkish Parliament’s image as a democratic institution; reiterates its condemnation of the decision made by the Turkish authorities to remove HDP’s over 150 democratically elected Kurdish mayors from office since 2016 on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees, which undermines local democracy; strongly criticizes the Turkish authorities decision to paralyse municipalities run by mayors of opposition parties in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir; condemns that after the last local elections on 31 March 2019 alone, 32 of the 65 democratically elected HDP mayors in south eastern Turkey were removed by the government and many replaced by trustees;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recognises that Turkey has legitimate security concerns and the right to fight terrorism; stresses, nevertheless, that this must be done with full respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002; stresses the urgent need for a resumption of the peace process and calls upon the Turkish government to reinitiate dialogue with the Kurdish movement towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Remains deeply concerned by the situation in the south-east of Turkey with regard to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and political participation; is particularly concerned about numerous reports of law enforcement officials engaging in torture and ill-treatment of detainees while responding to perceived and alleged security threats in the south-east of Turkey; condemns the police custody measures served against prominent civil society actors and political opponents in south-east Turkey and calls on Turkey to ensure the protection and safety of human rights defenders and to promptly initiate independent investigations into these cases;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Strongly condemns forced extraditions, kidnapping and abduction of Turkish citizens residing outside Turkey on the sole basis of their alleged links to the Gülen movement in violation of the principle of rule of law and basic human rights; urges the EU to address this worrying practice in its own Member States as well as in the candidate and associated countries, to support the countries in processing extradition requests coming from third countries in a transparent manner and in full compliance with the rule of law, respect for human rights and democratic standards and to withstand the pressure exerted by Turkey;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Expresses concern about reports of Turkey deporting Uighur Muslims to China via third countries, where hundreds of thousands of Uighurs are held in forced labour camps and face brutal persecution; calls on the Turkish government to hold the ratification of its extradition treaty with China
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on Turkey to abide by a zero- tolerance policy on torture and to duly investigate persistent and credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and inhumane or degrading treatment in detention, interrogation and custody, in order to put an end to impunity and hold those responsible to account; calls on Turkey to terminate forced disappearances as well as all incommunicado detention and detention in unofficial detention locations; is deeply concerned by the hygienic and sanitary situation in Turkey’s overcrowded prisons exacerbating the deadly danger of the COVID 19 pandemic for prisoners; highlights that according to data of the IHD (Human Rights Association in Turkey) there are currently 1,605 sick prisoners, 604 of whom are seriously ill; is appalled by the continued detention of HDP politician and former deputy, Ms Aysel Tuğluk despite her deteriorating health situation; highlights that Kocaeli University Hospital diagnosed Aysel Tuğluk with dementia and that in their final report, issued on 12 July, the University's Department of Forensic Science stated that the dementia might progress, that there might be problems about medical support and care, and that it was not possible for Tuğluk to continue her life without help; calls for Aysel Tuğlukʼs immediate release; is appalled by the reported practice of arrests of pregnant and post-partum women and urges Turkey to release them and to end the practice of arresting them just before or immediately after giving birth;
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future; insists that the respect for fundamental freedoms needs to be at the centre of the implementation process of the EU-Turkey Statement; highly commends the essential contribution of civil society in Turkey to the integration of refugees; calls on the Turkish government to enhance access to the labour market for Syrian refugees, notes with concern the mounting anti-immigration sentiment in Turkish politics and society; calls on the EU and its member states to substantially increase resettlement of refugees and support local integration efforts by Turkey actively;
Amendment 386 #
21 a. Is concerned by several reports of the lack of effective access to an asylum procedure for non-Syrian nationals in Turkey and summary push-backs of Afghans and others attempting to cross the border, including the recent arbitrary deportation to Syria of at least 150 Syrians, raising concerns regarding the adherence to the principle of non- refoulement; urges the European Commission to ensure a close monitoring of the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, including in relation to the human rights situation of asylum seekers and migrants returned to Turkey as part of the EU-Turkey Statement; urges Turkey to fully respect international refugee and human rights law, as enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, human rights treaties, and customary international law, and to prohibit returning anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution or threats to their lives or freedom, torture, or other serious harm; urges the EU and its member states to insist that deportations to Syria and Afghanistan are a clear breach of international refugee law and to take measures to ensure that any return to either Syria or Afghanistan is genuinely based on a well-informed and voluntary decision of the person concerned;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21 b. condemns Turkey’s military interventions in Syria and its illegal occupation of areas in northern Syria; denounces that Turkey and local Syrian factions abuse civilians’ rights and restrict their freedoms with impunity in the Turkish-occupied territories; condemns Turkey’s illegitimate transfer of Syrian refugees to northern Syria in order to modify the demographic character of the Kurdish area in Syria; denounces that Turkey continues to illegally transfer Syrian nationals to Turkey to face trial on terrorism charges that could lead to life imprisonment;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21 c. Calls on Turkey to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, and to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council; calls on Turkey to fully cooperate with the CSDP IRINI mission;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU; commends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia; calls upon both sides to build on the momentum and continue normalising their relations which has a positive impact for prosperity and security in the region; further welcomes Turkey’s diplomatic efforts to normalise relations with various countries of the Middle East, especially Israel;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 22 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Welcomes the clear support of the Turkish authorities for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the context of Russia’s attacks on the country; welcomes the statement of Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuosoglu announcing the implementation of the 1936 Montreux Convention, allowing Turkey to limit the naval transit of through its Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits during wartime;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; urges Turkey and all stakeholders involved to engage in bona fine in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; calls on collective efforts to delimitate the exclusive economic zones as well as the continental shelf in accordance with international law;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Welcomes the Turkish government’s decision to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement, its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2053 as well as its announcement to adapt to the European Green Deal; considers the implementation of the European Green Deal an important opportunity for the EU and Turkey to align their trade and climate policy and calls on the EU to closely coordinate and support Turkey in this context; notes the conducive role the EU agencies and the EUʼs industrial alliances can play in the cooperation between the EU and Turkey on the green transformation; notes that Turkey is among the 10 countries with the highest increase in CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2019 and calls on the Turkish government to follow-up on its announcement to update its nationally determined contribution in an ambitious way and develop a national strategy and action plan to meaningfully reduce emissions;
Amendment 489 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Calls on Turkey to maintain progress in the alignment with the EU directives and acquis related to the environment and climate action; commends the work of environmental rights defenders and warns against the dire environmental impact of major public infrastructure projects carried out, such as Istanbul’s third and largest airport, the third Bosphorus bridge and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant scheduled to go online in 2023; takes note of the beginning of constructions of the Kanal Istanbul last year and underscores warnings of environmentalists and the Chamber of Environmental Engineers that the canal will imperil Istanbul’s tenuous water supply and devastate the surrounding eco-system, including the natural equilibrium between the Black Sea and the Sea of Mar-mara; is alarmed that years of waste mismanagement coupled with the effects of climate change have led to a pollution crisis of the Marmara sea which is now covered by marine mucilage, devastating the sea’s ecosystem and causing mass fish death; calls upon the Turkish authorities to take immediate action to protect the Marmara sea and ban any infrastructure projects that would further contribute to the pollution of the water body; welcomes in this regard the Turkish government’s decision to grant the Marmara sea special environmental protection status;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24 c. Is worried that the racist right- wing extremist Ülkücü movement, known as “Grey Wolves”, closely linked to the ruling coalition party MHP, is spreading in Turkey itself, but also abroad in EU Member States; calls on the EU and its Member States to examine the possibility of banning their associations and organisations in EU countries; calls on Member States to closely monitor their racist activities and to fight back their influence, which is especially threatening for citizens with a Kurdish, Armenian or Greek background and anyone they consider an opponent;